Sidewinder Dual Strike Review - [4:38 PM PST by Tosev]
Gamefan has posted a review of the Microsoft Sidewinder Dual Strike Gamepad. This is the gamepad Microsoft designed to compete with the traditional keyboard / mouse combination for first person shooters. Did it fit the bill?

The other problem I found is one that pops up quite often with gamepads--they just don't offer the level of precision I find necessary to compete. I realize that I'm partially biased because of my years of experience with a keyboard/mouse combination, but I can say that every gamepad I've tried is definitely much less precise than the keyboard/mouse combo. This doesn't matter so much in games like Tomb Raider or the Thief 2 demo, but it's a huge issue for me in FPS games. The Dual Strike fares no differently in this regard--it lacks the precision I feel is necessary to truly compete in FPS games.

SpecOps M.O.U.T. Details - [11:57 PM PST by Tosev]
Avault has posted some new details from Zombie's upcoming SpecOps game, SpecOps M.O.U.T.

From a distance, the soldier appears to be just another Kevlar-helmeted warrior in combat gear. Get closer, and he could be Robocop. But this is no science fiction hero for the bubble gum set; this is the Land Warrior, a very real soldier of the near future. He is also the headliner in an upcoming action game from Zombie Entertainment called Spec Ops: M.O.U.T.

"M.O.U.T." stands for "Military Operations in Urban Terrain," and refers to a specialized set of real world battle tactics the U.S. military is testing for urban combat. It also refers to a brand of action that appeals to Zombie’s creative impulses in a big way.

Imagine a human soldier who has been computerized from head to hip boot, starting with a binocular heads-up display attached to one eye, and a radio connected to his mouth. He also carries a computer that provides Global Positioning System, or GPS, data. This information is used to create battle graphics for his HUD, such as a 2D map with his location, enemy positions, free fire zones, minefields, and more. Voice commands can be used to change what he sees.

Adding more potent high-tech juice to the mix is an optic cable connected to the soldier’s weapons scope. This multi-mode device has thermal, infrared, night vision, and video, enabling him to view something, and broadcast it to other team members. Now reproduce this hard-wired warrior into an entire battalion, and marvel that he is not born of science fiction. Whereas dominance on the battlefield was once determined with the arc of a broadsword, the digitized battlefield of the 21st century will soon be upon us.

German SpecOps2 Patch - [10:25 PM PST by Tosev]
I noticed over on SpecForce.net that Zombie VR Studios has released a patch for the German version of Spec Ops 2: Green Berets. You can download the patch Here (635 kb). English language users do not need this patch file. Here's the readme:

Spec Ops 2 Grenade Patch Beta v0.9 (2-16-00)
This patch fixes the problem with grenades in Spec Ops 2 German language Version.

To install:
1) unzip the file into a temporary directory

2) determine if you have installed the D3D or Voodoo version of the game

    2a) if you have installed the D3D version, rename the file germand3d.exe to beret.exe and copy it to your spec ops folder, replacing the old beret.exe

    2b) if you have installed the Voodoo version, rename the file germanvoodoo.exe to beret.exe and copy it to your spec ops folder, replacing the old beret.exe

3) copy the two .txt files : iventory.txt and iventorydesc.txt to your specops/menu folder

Alternately, you can install the English language version of the game

Updated Rage 128 Drivers - [12:41 PM PST by Tosev]
ATi has released updated drivers for their Rage 128 & Rage 128 Pro Video Cards. These new drivers fix a problem in Special Ops II: Green Berets where the display is shades of gray and most objects are invisible. Thanks to Blue's News for the tip.

First Details: Spec Ops M.O.U.T. - [12:17 PM PST by Tosev]
Gamespot has also gotten the scoop on the next Spec Ops game from Zombie VR Studios, Spec Ops: Military Operation Urban Terrain.

According to Long, Zombie is currently working on a brand-new Spec Ops title that's not directly related to the company's previous games. Called Spec Ops: Military Operation Urban Terrain, or M.O.U.T. for short, the game will actually eschew the tactical-simulator feel of Zombie's previous Spec Ops shooters in favor of fast-paced action. Long likened M.O.U.T. to Valve's Team Fortress Classic with licensed weapons and realistic environments. Like the proposed Spec Ops 3, M.O.U.T. will be designed using Monolith's LithTech 2 3D engine.

First Details: Zombie's Shrapnel - [12:16 PM PST by Tosev]
Gamespot has posted some details on the upcoming LithTech 2.0 title from Zombie VR Studios, Shrapnel.

The game is called Shrapnel, and it's being codeveloped by Jim Lee's Wildstorm Comics. Long said that the game's plot will involve an alien invasion of Earth by bug-like creatures. While details are still sketchy, Shrapnel's story will unfold with these bug/aliens colonizing the dark side of the moon, eventually moving it closer to Earth to alter the planet's weather cycles and overall climate, thus making it more suitable for an invasion. You'll play as a member of a resistance pocket on Earth and use handheld weapons and land- and air-based vehicles to fight off the alien aggressors in a game that combines the action of Tribes with Crazy Taxi's detailed environments and free-roaming gameplay, according to Long.

Zombie VR News - [12:14 PM PST by Tosev]
Avault posted two articles about Zombie VR Studios. The first news bit is that Zombie VR has been purchased by Advanced Interactive Systems, a producer of interactive computer simulation training and entertainment systems.

How did these two meet? AIS specializes in state-of-the-art video-based simulators for law enforcement, SWAT, and special forces teams. The company visited Zombie to see Spec Ops and determine if it could be modified for their purposes. According to Mark Long, Zombie co-president and founder, what the purchase does other than bring more financial resources to Zombie is give them access to some enticing development resources. For instance, AIS has the contract for SEAL Team Six’s simulator. "We now have this amazing access to the real deal, similar to what Clancy has been able to do with his connections through the military," Long told the Adrenaline Vault. AIS also plans to produce location-based entertainment, so Zombie will be able to target PC games and multiplayer online arcade products.

FutureGamer SpecOps 2 Review - [10:14 AM PST by Tosev]
FutureGamer has posted a review of Zombie VR Studio's SpecOps 2: Green Berets.

Dive into the levels themselves and, in its more exquisite moments, Spec Ops II delivers a compelling experience of the dirty conflicts still being authorised today by world powers, ruthless multinationals and James Earl Jones in a cameo role. Crouching in dirt, with only two wounded Green Berets, a 5.62mm M4 assault rifle called 'Tammy' and countless hostiles nearby for company, the tension is palpable. No quick-save cowardice is allowed here: the only way to survive is to achieve your objectives without dying, and patient observation should overcome any number of enemy defences.

SpecOps Updates - [3:55 PM PST by Tosev]
I caught word over on SpecForce.net that Bill from Zombie posted some news about SpecOps 3, the SpecOps 2 addon and the SpecOps 2 patch to the Zombie Forums:

I know we have been a bit quiet at Zombie but we have had a lot of crazy things going on. We are working on an expansion pack for SO2. Completely revamped AI. I mean completely new, as in throw out a bunch of code and start over. Also upgraded to DX7 and Glide3. I have been reading the forum and want to incorporate as many suggestions as possible. I think your ideas for SO3 are great. Keep em coming. Cut scenes...I do not know. With LithTech maybe we could do plenty of "in-engine" cut-scenes. It seems a lot more friendly to that sort of thing. HALO or other insertion methods is a great idea. Specific mission load-outs, yes. Replay option, yes. Better menu system, definitely. AI will be a very big focus. One of the reasons we want to use a new engine, so we do not have to worry about a lot of basic engine functionality and can instead focus on AI and game play. We are getting off to a good start with our new AI. I hope to incorporate it into a new patch for SO2. Give me another month or so and I will have a new patch for ya.

SpecOps Postmortem - [11:14 AM PST by Tosev]
Gamasutra has posted a postmortem article written by SpecOps lead programmer Wyeth Ridgway where he discusses the Viper engine, what went right and what went wrong with the original SpecOps: Rangers Lead the Way.

Whenever you’re making a product that targets simulation fans, realism is key. The executive producer (a former Army Ranger) told us from the start that the product "was more like a movie than a game." With this as a premise, every detail in the game was researched and reproduced as perfectly as possible. We had Rangers come in for the motion capture sessions and photo shoots. We sampled sounds from the actual weapons used in the game. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) officers came in and reviewed our missions, and the game designers spent the better part of a year researching everything from environment characteristics to standard equipment carried by troops. Any one of these details might not have made much of a difference, but as a whole they brought the game up several notches. This attention to detail also created a very positive atmosphere for the entire team.

Gamespot.au SpecOps2 Review - [6:37 PM PST by Tosev]
Gamespot.au has posted a review of SpecOps2: Green Berets, giving it a whopping 8.5 out of 10.

Surviving combat in Spec Ops II requires constant vigilance and intelligent teamwork. Once enemies have been alerted to your presence, if not suddenly exterminated they become absolutely lethal, and will bring almost instant death upon anyone walking(or running) into their field of fire. Acting as a one-man army in Spec Ops II is a tactic that will humble you very quickly. Instead, you must use the combined firepower of your teammates to draw fire from the enemy, distract them, and reduce their effectiveness to let one of you to deliver the decisive kill. These combat aspects are merciless, offering you zero leeway in terms of your tactics, response time and accuracy.

SpecOps 2 Patch Details - [6:30 PM PST by Tosev]
Zombie VR Studios sent in some information to SpecForce.net on the upcoming patch file for SpecOps2: Green Berets:

They are actively working on a 'major' patch to fix bugs in the current release of SO2, for both D3D and Voodoo users. For D3D users, we'll be getting fixes for the shadows, flashlights, crosshairs in scopes, and more. The Voodoo users will be getting higher screen res support. There will also be some menu changes as well (I suppose for "everyone" that hated the menus...)

However the release is still "several weeks away", and not expected till early March.